Our second power rankings of 2026-27, with teams 5 to 8 games in.
Two changes from Week 1. Last season is out: this ranking is built entirely on this season's results, measured three ways, points percentage (50%), expected goals share (30%) and the last 10 games (20%). And Opp now covers only this week's games, Oct. 8 to 14, scored at each opponent's current rank, so it shows who had the hard week. Chg is places moved since Week 1.
| # | Team | Chg | Record | Home | Away | GF | GA | Pts% | xGF% | Opp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |   Carolina Hurricanes | ▲3 | 6-1-1 | 2-1-1 | 4-0-0 | 31 | 19 | .812 | 62.3 | 27.8 |
| 2 |   Edmonton Oilers | ▼1 | 5-0-1 | 1-0-1 | 4-0-0 | 29 | 18 | .917 | 56.2 | 27.0 |
| 3 |   Vegas Golden Knights | ▼1 | 6-2-0 | 3-1-0 | 3-1-0 | 30 | 20 | .750 | 57.7 | 21.5 |
| 4 |   New York Rangers | ▲3 | 6-2-0 | 5-0-0 | 1-2-0 | 27 | 14 | .750 | 56.4 | 18.7 |
| 5 |   Utah Mammoth | ▲3 | 5-2-0 | 2-0-0 | 3-2-0 | 27 | 19 | .714 | 58.9 | 17.7 |
| 6 |   Colorado Avalanche | ▼3 | 4-2-1 | 2-1-1 | 2-1-0 | 31 | 22 | .643 | 55.7 | 23.3 |
| 7 |   Tampa Bay Lightning | ▲2 | 4-2-0 | 3-0-0 | 1-2-0 | 17 | 16 | .667 | 55.4 | 13.0 |
| 8 |   Winnipeg Jets | ▲2 | 4-1-1 | 2-1-1 | 2-0-0 | 18 | 17 | .750 | 48.2 | 13.0 |
| 9 |   Seattle Kraken | ▲14 | 5-2-0 | 1-1-0 | 4-1-0 | 29 | 19 | .714 | 47.4 | 25.7 |
| 10 |   Ottawa Senators | ▲2 | 5-2-0 | 2-1-0 | 3-1-0 | 21 | 19 | .714 | 47.3 | 21.3 |
| 11 |   Boston Bruins | ▲5 | 5-2-0 | 3-1-0 | 2-1-0 | 26 | 16 | .714 | 46.9 | 21.0 |
| 12 |   Minnesota Wild | ▼6 | 4-2-1 | 2-0-0 | 2-2-1 | 21 | 16 | .643 | 50.8 | 8.3 |
| 13 |   St. Louis Blues | ▲13 | 3-2-1 | 1-0-1 | 2-2-0 | 21 | 18 | .583 | 56.3 | 20.3 |
| 14 |   Anaheim Ducks | ▲1 | 4-2-0 | 1-2-0 | 3-0-0 | 20 | 17 | .667 | 47.9 | 22.0 |
| 15 |   Florida Panthers | ▼4 | 3-2-2 | 0-1-0 | 3-1-2 | 19 | 20 | .571 | 52.3 | 19.0 |
| 16 |   New Jersey Devils | ▲9 | 3-3-0 | 2-2-0 | 1-1-0 | 16 | 22 | .500 | 57.0 | 22.7 |
| 17 |   Pittsburgh Penguins | ▼4 | 3-3-1 | 2-1-0 | 1-2-1 | 25 | 22 | .500 | 53.6 | 25.3 |
| 18 |   Washington Capitals | ▼4 | 4-3-0 | 3-1-0 | 1-2-0 | 24 | 22 | .571 | 47.0 | 8.3 |
| 19 |   Montreal Canadiens | ▼2 | 3-3-1 | 2-2-0 | 1-1-1 | 23 | 27 | .500 | 52.2 | 22.3 |
| 20 |   Buffalo Sabres | ▼15 | 3-3-1 | 3-2-0 | 0-1-1 | 19 | 26 | .500 | 51.7 | 15.0 |
| 21 |   Dallas Stars | ▼3 | 3-3-1 | 1-2-0 | 2-1-1 | 16 | 13 | .500 | 50.2 | 12.3 |
| 22 |   Toronto Maple Leafs | ▼1 | 3-3-1 | 2-2-0 | 1-1-1 | 24 | 23 | .500 | 46.6 | 4.7 |
| 23 |   New York Islanders | ▲4 | 3-3-0 | 3-1-0 | 0-2-0 | 19 | 15 | .500 | 48.2 | 22.7 |
| 24 |   Nashville Predators | ▼2 | 2-2-2 | 1-2-0 | 1-0-2 | 16 | 19 | .500 | 44.6 | 10.7 |
| 25 |   Columbus Blue Jackets | ▼5 | 2-3-0 | 2-2-0 | 0-1-0 | 16 | 21 | .400 | 49.0 | 15.0 |
| 26 |   San Jose Sharks | ▼7 | 3-3-0 | 2-2-0 | 1-1-0 | 16 | 23 | .500 | 39.1 | 8.7 |
| 27 |   Detroit Red Wings | ▼3 | 1-3-2 | 1-3-1 | 0-0-1 | 14 | 20 | .333 | 47.5 | 14.7 |
| 28 |   Los Angeles Kings | ▲1 | 0-3-2 | 0-2-0 | 0-1-2 | 11 | 21 | .200 | 52.7 | 2.5 |
| 29 |   Calgary Flames | ▲3 | 1-5-0 | 0-3-0 | 1-2-0 | 12 | 29 | .167 | 48.4 | 11.3 |
| 30 |   Chicago Blackhawks | ▲1 | 2-5-0 | 2-1-0 | 0-4-0 | 17 | 29 | .286 | 37.7 | 13.7 |
| 31 |   Vancouver Canucks | ▼3 | 2-6-0 | 1-2-0 | 1-4-0 | 26 | 38 | .250 | 38.6 | 11.0 |
| 32 |   Philadelphia Flyers | ▼2 | 0-5-3 | 0-2-2 | 0-3-1 | 10 | 31 | .188 | 35.9 | 7.8 |
The top five
1. Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina won all four games this week by a combined 20-7, and Andrei Svechnikov drove it: 5 goals and 7 points in those four games. The Hurricanes have won six straight and own 62.3% of expected goals, the best share in the league by more than three points.
Is it real? Mostly. Their goals for and against both sit within a goal of what their chances predict, so this is not a team riding luck. The asterisk is the schedule: Vancouver, Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington, three of the bottom four. Next week is a road trip through Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver.
2. Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton is the only team without a regulation loss, and Connor McDavid leads the NHL with 17 points. This week was two road wins, in San Jose and Los Angeles, with Vasily Podkolzin scoring three of their seven goals.
The warning sign: the Oilers have scored 29 goals on 19.9 expected, about nine more than their chances, the biggest overperformance in our top five. Finishing like that usually cools. The schedule gets real next week, with two games against No. 5 Utah and one against Minnesota.
3. Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas went 3-1 this week, and two of the wins needed extra time: a shootout against Toronto and overtime against Los Angeles. Mitch Marner led the week with 5 points, and Jack Eichel has 13 on the season, tied for third in the NHL, 5 of them on the power play.
Unlike Edmonton, there is no luck to strip out. Vegas has scored about a goal and a half more than its chances predict and allowed almost exactly what they predict, so this is a 57.7% team playing like one. The one loss was 4-2 in Minnesota. Next week is all at home: Calgary, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay.
4. New York Rangers
The Rangers are here because of their goalies, and they just lost the best one. Igor Shesterkin is out for the season after hurting his right knee in last Friday's 3-1 loss in Washington, and with Joonas Korpisalo still about a month away, the net belongs to Dylan Garand. He came on in relief that night, then won both of his starts since, allowing three goals on 47 shots against Vancouver and Tampa Bay. His .951 save percentage is the best in the league among goalies with three or more games.
New York has allowed 14 goals on 21.1 expected, about seven fewer than average goaltending would, and that cushion now rests on a goalie with four NHL games this season. Alexis Lafrenière supplied the offence this week, 4 goals in three games, and the Rangers are 5-0 at home. Next week: New Jersey and Columbus on the road, then Anaheim at home.
5. Utah Mammoth
Utah has the second-best expected goals share in the league at 58.9%, and its power play is converting at 34.5%, also second. The week opened with a 6-1 loss in Boston, then the Mammoth won 4-1 in Buffalo and edged Toronto 5-4 at home. Barrett Hayton had 4 assists in the three games, and Clayton Keller and Dylan Guenther have 6 power-play points each, tied for second in the NHL.
Their goals line up almost exactly with their chances at both ends, so 5-2 looks earned. Next week is the real test: two straight games against No. 2 Edmonton, away and then at home, then Pittsburgh.
The bottom five
28. Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles and Philadelphia are the only teams without a win, and the Kings drew the hardest week in the league: Vegas and Edmonton. They took Vegas to overtime before losing 2-1, then lost 4-1 to the Oilers.
There is a real case they are better than 0-3-2. They have 52.7% of expected goals, and the gap is in net: they have allowed 21 goals on 12.6 expected, more than eight worse than average goaltending, and Darcy Kuemper is at .847. If the saves come, the wins will. Next week: Boston at home, then Washington on the road.
29. Calgary Flames
Calgary finally has a win. The Flames beat Anaheim 4-2 on Tuesday, three days after losing to the Ducks at home, with four different scorers and 36 shots, their most in a game this season. Dustin Wolf stopped 23 of 25, his best night so far, and it lifts Calgary out of last.
The record is still 1-5, but the underlying numbers say the Flames are not this bad. They have scored 12 goals on 18.1 expected and allowed 29 on 19.2, so luck has cost them roughly 16 goals in six games, the biggest gap in our bottom five. They opened the season with one goal in each of their first three games, and neither goalie has helped: Wolf is at .839 and Devin Cooley at .818.
Adam Klapka scored twice this week and leads the NHL with 32 penalty minutes. Next week is the hardest the Flames have seen: No. 3 Vegas on the road, then No. 1 Carolina at home.
30. Chicago Blackhawks
Connor Bedard made his season debut Tuesday, playing 21:06 with an assist in a 5-3 win over Pittsburgh, Chicago's second win of the season. Roman Kantserov scored three goals this week.
The problem is the chances. Chicago has 37.7% of expected goals, the second-lowest share in the league, and is 0-4 on the road. Bedard is the biggest lever they have to move that number. Next week: Winnipeg and Dallas, both at home.
31. Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver has lost five straight, and this week's four-game road trip went 0-4, outscored 20-7 by Carolina, New Jersey, the Rangers and the Islanders. Jake DeBrusk had 3 of the 7 goals.
The goals against are the story. Vancouver has allowed 38, the most in the league by seven and about eight more than its chances predict. Kevin Lankinen is at .786, the lowest among goalies with three or more games and 11.2 goals below expected by our numbers, while Leevi Merilainen, at .926, has earned more of the net. The penalty kill is also the worst in the league at 57.1%. Next week: Florida, Tampa Bay, then No. 1 Carolina.
32. Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia drops to last at 0-5-3, losing four more this week by a combined 14-5. Ten goals in eight games is the fewest in the league, and the power play is at 8.3%.
It is not the goaltending: Joseph Woll has a .914 save percentage and is 2.2 goals above expected by our numbers. It is the finishing. The Flyers have scored 10 goals on 16.6 expected, almost seven short. Next week: Detroit, Ottawa, Colorado and Buffalo.
Week 3 is next Thursday.
